Flight to Varennes

The Flight to Varennes occurred on the night of 20-21 June 1791 when King Louis XVI of France, Queen Marie Antoinette, and their immediate family attempted to flee from Paris to the Austrian Netherlands via the border town of Varennes. The royals left the Tuileries Palace while dressed as bourgeoisie, but a guard recognized them. They were captured and forced to return to Paris, where they were kept under house arrest at the Tuileries Palace. The failed escape of the royals led to public opinion turning against the royals, as the public now believed the royal family to be traitors and deserters who had attempted to abandon their people. In 1793, Louis and Marie Antoinette would be guillotined due to charges of treason stemming from their attempted escape.